PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's soccer team will visit Queens, N.Y. on Tuesday evening for its last non-conference bout of the season. They will take on St. John's, ranked 22nd nationally in the latest NSCAA poll.
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La Salle Explorers (3-4-2) at #22 St. John's Red Storm (5-4-1)
Tuesday, October 8, 2013 | 7 PM | Belson Stadium
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Last Time Out
La Salle struck first on Wednesday evening vs. Villanova but the Wildcats answered with three scores in a row to beat the Explorers, 3-1. Freshman
Kehiel Williams netted his first career goal and senior goalkeeper
John McCarthy turned away five shots in the loss.
Explorer Notes
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La Salle last played a ranked opponent on November 8, 2012 when it fell to #25 Saint Louis, 3-1 in the A-10 quarterfinals. The Explorers also lost a 3-0 draw at Charlotte on October 14, 2012 when the 49ers were ranked 22nd (both rankings according to the NSCAA).
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Wednesday's loss to Villanova snapped a two game win streak. The Explorers toppled Stetson, 3-1 (9/28) and Lehigh, 3-0 (9/21) in the two games prior.
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La Salle has outscored its opponents 9-6 over the last six matches, going 3-2-1 in that span.
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The Explorers have scored 15 goals this season and have allowed 15. They have been outshot 138-98.
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12 of La Salle's 15 goals have been scored in the second half.
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La Salle ranks third in the conference in points/game (4.89) and fourth in goals/game (1.67) and assists/game (1.56).
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The Explorers rank fourth in the A-10 in saves/game (4.78).
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Senior Jason Plumhoff ranks third in the conference in points/game (1.33) and fifth in goals/game (0.44).
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Sophomore Joe Farrell ranks second in the A-10 in assists/game (0.50).
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McCarthy ranks third in the conference in save percentage (.787) and saves/game (4.62).
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Plumhoff and junior Pat Sullivan, both Ellicott City, Md. natives, are the only two Explorers to start all nine matches this season.
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61% (27 of 44) of La Salle's points and 67 percent (10 of 15) of its goals this season have been notched by members of the senior class.
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McCarthy now has 389 career saves. He is 15 away from tying Rich Scholer (1989-92) for third in program history. The senior has recorded two shutouts on the season, giving him 25 for his career – upping a program record he broke last season.
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Plumhoff has tallied 60 career points, ninth-most in La Salle history. He is two away from tying Mike Bradby (1986-89) for eighth all-time. His 20 career assists are tied for fourth-most in program history.
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McCarthy and Plumhoff were all-conference preseason choices.
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The Explorers were picked to finish in fifth in the A-10 preseason poll.
Red Storm Notes
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St. John's has played three nationally ranked opponents this season, most notably topping #5 Akron, 2-1, on September 6. The Red Storm have reached the NCAA Tournament 19 times in their history, including the last two seasons.
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The Red Storm is 41-8-9 at Belson Stadium since 2008.
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St. John's has lost two in a row, most recently falling 1-0 to Providence on Saturday evening.
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The Red Storm have scored 10 goals on the year and allowed 10.
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Sean Sepe leads the team in goals (5) and points (10).
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Jimmy Mulligan has scored two goals for St. John's and leads the team in shots (22).
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Rafael Diaz has started all 10 games in net for the Red Storm (959:39), posting a .787 save percentage on 37 saves. He has recorded 26 career shutouts and was a Soccer America preseason All-American.
Up Next
The Explorers begin their conference season on Friday, October 11 vs. Duquesne at McCarthy Stadium.
